Battery for a power tool with a battery pack ejector

ABSTRACT

A power tool has a mechanism for ejecting a battery pack which includes a receiving frame which defines a cavity to receive a battery pack. A receiving member is adjacent the cavity. The receiving member meshes with a member on the battery pack to hold the battery pack in the cavity. A biasing member is in the cavity adjacent the receiving member. The biasing member ejects the battery pack from the ejecting mechanism. A member retains the biasing member in the cavity. The member guides a portion of the battery pack meshing with the receiving member into contact with the biasing member such that when the battery pack is locked onto the frame, the biasing member is in a compressed condition and when the battery pack is an unlocked position, the biasing member ejects the battery pack from the frame.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/827,465, filed Apr. 19, 2004now U.S. Pat. No. 8,181,717, which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.10/652,915, filed Aug. 29, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,661,486, which is acontinuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/938,202, filed Aug. 24, 2001 (now U.S.Pat. No. 6,729,413). The disclosures of the above applications areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to power tools and, more particularly, tobattery operated power tools which include a mechanism for ejecting thebattery from the tool.

In the power tool field, as battery technology improves, tradesmen areturning to battery operated tools. As the tradesmen utilize the batteryoperated tools, they desire tools with increased power, extended batterylife, and longer durability. However, as tradesmen require more powerand extended battery life, battery size and weight increase. As thisoccurs, it is desirable to have additional help to eject the batteriesfrom the power tools.

Various types of battery ejectors exist in the field. Ordinarily, thebatteries are surrounded by the housing and the biasing mechanismapplies a force on the battery or battery pack near the electricalcontact area. This is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,682 to Nakao;U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,667 to Bunyea et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,293 toMitchell et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,417 to Engmark et al.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,835 to Habedank et al, which is assigned to theassignee of the present invention, discloses a mechanism for assistingan ejecting battery from a power tool. The mechanism includes a capwhich is biased by a spring or springs which are positioned within thehousing. The cap acts upon the battery to apply a removal force onto thebattery. Here, the top of the battery and the end of the battery aresurrounded by the power tool housing.

The cited art does not provide a solution for ejecting a battery whichis freely suspended by its coupling mechanism. In this case, the batteryis supported on only one side and the remaining battery extends from thehousing of the power tool. The majority of battery ejectors for thesetypes of batteries are like those illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.5,213,913. Here, the latching mechanisms, when moved, allow gravity todrop the battery from the housing. Thus, there was no need for a biasingforce to remove the battery pack from the tool housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides the art with a battery ejection mechanismwhich is utilized on batteries which are suspended from the power tool.The suspended battery includes rails which enable the battery to slideonto the power tool. The biasing member is positioned adjacent to thebattery rails for ejecting the battery. Also, the biasing member ispositioned in alignment such that the biasing member contacts the faceof the rail mechanism of the battery to eject the battery. The batteryis partly ejected from the tool housing so that it can be removed fromthe housing.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a mechanismfor ejecting a battery comprises a frame with a cavity in the frame toreceive a battery pack. A receiving member extends from the frame and isadjacent the cavity. The receiving member meshes with a member on thebattery pack to maintain the battery pack in the cavity. A biasingmember is positioned in the cavity adjacent the receiving member. Thebiasing member ejects the battery pack from the ejecting mechanism. Amember to retain the biasing member in the cavity is secured to theframe. The member guides the meshing portion of the battery pack withthe receiving member into contact with the biasing member such that whenthe battery pack is locked onto the frame, the biasing member is in acompressed condition and when the battery pack is in an unlockedpositioned the biasing member ejects the battery pack from the frame.The cavity is defined by a pair of opposing side walls and an end walladjoining the opposing side walls and an end wall adjoining the opposingside walls. The receiving member includes a pair of rails extending fromeach side wall. The rails oppose one another. Channels are formedadjacent the side walls and between the rails and frame to receivemating rails on the battery pack. The biasing retaining member isadjacent the channel. The biasing retaining member is a tab extendingfrom the side wall of the frame. The biasing member includes a pair ofhelical springs. The helical springs extend from the end wall and arealigned coincident with the channel.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, a power toolcomprises a housing with a motor in the housing. An output is coupledwith the motor. An activation member is included to activate the motor.A mechanism on the housing receives a battery pack. The mechanismincludes a frame, with a receiving member and an adjacent cavity. Thereceiving member meshes with a member on the battery pack to hold thebattery pack in the cavity. A biasing member is positioned in the cavityadjacent the receiving member. The biasing member ejects the batterypack from the ejecting mechanism. A member to retain the biasing memberin the cavity is secured to the frame. The member guides the meshingportion of the battery pack with the receiving member into contact withthe biasing member such that when the battery pack is locked onto theframe, the biasing member is in a compressed condition and when thebattery pack is in an unlocked positioned the biasing member ejects thebattery pack from the frame. The cavity is defined by a pair of opposingside walls and an end wall adjoining the opposing side walls. Thereceiving member includes a pair of rails extending from each side wall.The rails oppose one another. Channels are formed adjacent the sidewalls and between the rails and frame to receive mating rails on thebattery pack. The biasing retaining member is adjacent the channel. Thebiasing retaining member is a tab extending from the side wall of theframe. The biasing member includes a pair of helical springs. Thehelical springs extend from the end wall and are aligned coincident withthe channel. A battery pack is received in the battery pack receivingmechanism. The battery pack includes a pair of rails mating in thechannels. The battery pack rails include an upper portion and a lowerportion and a channel between the upper and lower portions. Theextending tabs extend into the channel of the battery pack rails. Thebattery pack rails include end faces that abut the helical springs. Thebattery rails slide in the channels and the frame rails freely suspendthe battery pack from the tool housing. The helical springs arepositioned in the tool electrical connector housing.

From the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with thedrawings and subjoined claims, other objects and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a power tool in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the battery receiving mechanism ofthe drill of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the receivingelement of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the battery removed from the tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning to the figures, particularly FIG. 1, a power tool is illustratedand designated with the reference numeral 10. The power tool 10 includesa housing 12 which includes a motor portion 14 and a handle portion 16as well as a base portion 18. A motor 20 is positioned in the housing12. An output 22 is coupled with the motor 20 and in this case includesa chuck 24. An activation member 26 is positioned on the handle portion.The activation member is electrically coupled with the motor 20 as wellas with a battery pack 30 which supplies the power to the power tool 10.

The housing base portion 18 includes a battery pack receiving frame 32.The battery pack receiving frame 32 includes a pair of opposing sidewalls 34 and 36 as well as an end wall 38. The side walls 34, 36 and endwall 38 define a battery receiving cavity 40. The cavity 40 is limitedon the frame by a top wall or base 42. Each side wall 34, 36 includes arail 44, 46. The rails 44, 46 extend longitudinally along the frame froman end of the housing base portion 18 towards the end wall 38. Channels48, 50 are formed between the rails 44, 46 and the top wall 42. Thechannels 48, 50 receive the battery pack 30.

An electrical connector housing 52 is coupled with the housing baseportion 18 adjacent the end wall 38. The electrical connector housing 52includes electrical connectors 54, 56 which couple with electricalconnectors of the battery pack 30. The electrical connector housing 52includes bores 58, 60 which receive helical springs 62, 64. Springguides 66, 68 are positioned at the bottom of the bores 58, 60 to guidethe helical springs 62, 64. Also, the guides 66, 68 maintain the springsin the bores 58, 60 during assembly. Tabs 70, 72 extend from the sidewalls 34, 36 of the receiving frame 32. The tabs 70, 72 capture thehelical springs 62, 64 to maintain the springs 62, 64 in the bores 58,60. The tabs 70, 72 are positioned between the rails and the top wall 42aligned with the channels 48, 50 as seen in FIG. 3. The tabs 70, 72 aretapered from the frame 32 to the free end. Also, the tabs 70, 72 aretapered along their thickness as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. The tapersassist in guiding the battery pack 30.

The battery pack 30 includes a housing 74 with a plurality of batteries(not shown) positioned within the housing. A release button 76 which iscoupled with a latch 78 is positioned on the housing 74. The latch 78secures the battery pack 30 to the top wall 42 of the housing baseportion 18. The battery housing 74 includes rails 80, 82 longitudinallyextending along the top surface of the battery pack 30. The rails definechannels 84, 86 which mesh with the rails 44, 46 of the housing baseportion 18. The rails 80, 82 include upper surfaces 88, 90 and lowersurfaces 92, 94. The upper and lower surfaces define channels 96, 98.The rails 80, 82 are received in the channels 48, 50 of the housing basereceiving frame 32. The battery pack 30 includes electrical connectors104, 106. The electrical connectors 104, 106 are received in theelectrical connectors 54, 56 for powering the power tool 10.

The battery pack 30 is coupled with the housing receiving frame 32 asfollows. The battery pack rails 80, 82 are positioned in the framechannels 48, 50. The battery pack 30 is slid, rail upon rail, into thereceiving frame 32 until the latch 78 secures in a catch 79 in the topwall 42. As this occurs, the battery rail faces 100, 102 abut thehelical springs 62, 64. Prior to this happening, the battery railchannels 96, 98 receive the extending tabs 70, 72. The tabs 70, 72 guidethe rails 80, 82 into contact with the springs 62, 64. The contacting ofthe springs 62, 64 by the battery rail faces 100, 102 occurs prior tothe latch locking in the catch of the top wall 42. Accordingly, thesprings 62, 64 compress into the bores 58, 60.

To release the battery pack 30 from the power tool 10, the button 76 ismoved downwardly. As this occurs, the latch 78 also moves downwardlyremoving the latch from the catch 79 on the top wall 42. As this occurs,the battery pack 30 is no longer locked in position on the power toolhousing receiving frame 32. At that time, the springs 62, 64, which aredesigned to have enough force to overcome the weight of the battery pack30 and the terminal friction, eject the battery pack 30 away from theelectrical connector housing 52. The battery pack 30 is ejectedpartially from the battery pack receiving frame 32. Also, the ejectiondisconnects the battery pack from the terminals.

While the above detailed description describes the preferred embodimentof the present invention, the invention is susceptible to modification,variation and alteration without deviating from the scope and fairmeaning of the subjoined claims.

1. A battery pack comprising: a housing for retaining a battery; aretention mechanism coupled with said housing, said retention mechanismfor retaining said battery pack on a power tool, said retentionmechanism including a pair of rails extending along said housing, therails being located on opposite sides of said battery pack and facingoutwardly, each rail including a first channel, said first channeladapted to receive a tab on the power tool to guide the battery packinto position on the power tool; and an electrical connector extendingfrom said housing adapted for coupling with an electrical connector onthe power tool for electrically coupling the battery pack with the powertool; wherein said rails further comprise an upper portion and a lowerportion, the upper and lower portions being at least partially spacedfrom one another along a direction from the base to the top of thehousing, the at least partial spacing being visible from the outwarddirection, with said first channels between said upper and lowerportions; and wherein second channels are formed between an uppersurface of the battery pack housing and the lower portions of the rails.2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said housing has anoverall rectangular configuration with a pair of sidewalls parallel to alongitudinal axis and a pair of end walls continuous with said sidewallsand perpendicular to said axis and a bottom wall and a top wall withsaid retention mechanism extending from said top wall.
 3. The batterypack according to claim 1, further comprising a release buttonpositioned on a wall for activating a latch that extends from a topwall.
 4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said retentionmechanism is acted on by a biasing mechanism for biasing the batterypack in a direction away from a power tool when a release button on saidbattery pack is activated.
 5. A battery pack comprising: a housing forretaining a battery, said housing having a side wall, a base and a top;a retaining mechanism for retaining the battery pack in a power tool,said retaining mechanism including mating members for coupling withmating members on the power tool; and a release mechanism for securingand releasing the battery pack from a power tool, said release mechanismincluding a release button and a latch mechanism; and an electricalconnector adapted for coupling with an electrical connector on the powertool for electrically coupling the battery pack with the power tool;wherein said retaining mechanism includes at least two rails extendingalong said housing, the at least two rails being located on oppositesides of said battery pack and facing outwardly; wherein said rails eachcomprise an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper and lowerportions being at least partially spaced from one another along adirection from the base to the top of the housing, the at least partialspacing being visible from the outward direction; wherein channels areformed between an upper surface of the battery pack housing and thelower portions of the rails.
 6. The battery pack of claim 5, whereinsaid retention mechanism projects from said top.
 7. The battery pack ofclaim 6, wherein said latch projects from said retention mechanism. 8.The battery pack of claim 5, wherein said latch automatically engagesthe power tool as the battery pack is slid onto the power tool.
 9. Amethod for coupling a battery pack with a tool comprising: providing apower tool including a frame for receiving a battery pack, said frameincluding a pair of channels and a catch; providing a battery packincluding a housing for retaining a battery, said housing having a sidewall, a base and a top; a retention mechanism coupled with said housing,said retention mechanism for retaining said battery pack on a powertool, said retention mechanism including at least two rails extendingalong said housing, the at least two rails being located on oppositesides of said battery pack and facing outwardly; and an electricalconnector adapted for coupling with an electrical connector on the powertool for electrically coupling the battery pack with the power toolwherein said rails each comprise an upper portion and a lower portion,the upper and lower portions being at least partially spaced from oneanother along a direction from the base to the top of the housing, theat least partial spacing being visible from the outward direction;positioning said rails of said battery pack in said channels of saidframe; moving said battery pack and said power tool toward one another;engaging said release mechanism with said latch for locking said batterypack and power tool together; electrically coupling said battery packelectrical connector with an electrical connector of said power tool.10. The method of coupling a battery pack with a tool of claim 9,further including releasing said battery pack from said power tool. 11.The method of coupling a battery pack with a tool of claim 10, furthercomprising activating said release mechanism.
 12. The method of couplinga battery pack with a tool of claim 11, further comprising releasingsaid release mechanism from said latch.
 13. The method of coupling abattery pack with a tool of claim 12, further comprising ejecting saidbattery pack from said power tool.